[NAGDU] General public advising me and Alec

Tue Feb 13 20:20:55 UTC 2018

Let us know how it goes.

On Feb 13, 2018 1:31 PM, "Andy B. via NAGDU" <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> Hi, 
>
> I can tell him no. We didn't go this morning, but it resulted in a call from 
> my VR worker on the issue. We have a meeting set up where I can hopefully 
> get things cleared up. 
>
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tami Jarvis via 
> NAGDU 
> Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2018 12:30 PM 
> To: Andy B. via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> 
> Cc: Tami Jarvis <tami at poodlemutt.com> 
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] General public advising me and Alec 
>
> Andy, 
>
> Is it possible to just say no and keep saying it? In other words, will you 
> suffer some sort of repercussions with your agency if you don't waste your 
> time doing something that isn't helping you meet your goals just because 
> some instructor thinks he knows better than you how you should manage your 
> guide? By law, they're actually not allowed to make your decisions for you, 
> but some seem to have missed that memo. 
>
> Honestly, gide dogs do move around during long meetings. The goal of keeping 
> the dog quiet and still and unobtrusive, unseen and unheard if possible, is 
> a worthy one. But, as you say, they're not robots. And it's harder for them 
> when they're younger, just as it is harder for young people. Both grow up 
> and then grow old and tired and just sleep through meetings. /lol/ 
>
> Good luck getting this resolved. 
>
> Tami 
>
>
>
> On 02/13/2018 08:25 AM, Andy B. via NAGDU wrote: 
> > Hi, 
> > 
> >   
> > 
> > I came across an interesting predicament. At this time, I am working 
> > with an employment specialist that works for my state blind rehab 
> > agency. During our normal mettings, he advised we attend an employment 
> > class taught by another state agency. We agreed to attend a session or 
> > two for the general experience. During the first session, which lasted 
> > about 1.5 hours, Alec tended to be somewhat annoyed that people were 
> > required to get up and move about to interact with each other during 
> > an ice breaker activity. The conference room is small and contained about 
> 20 people. 
> > 
> > While everyone was sitting down during lectures, Alec whimpered every 
> > so often. He also wanted his space and moved his back end out away 
> > from my left side. I only assume he wanted to face the direction of 
> > the speaker. I attempted to get him back to my left side. In most cases, 
> it worked. 
> > However, a few times it didn't work very well. After a point, I let 
> > him lay where he was at the time. Besides, he wasn't bothering anyone 
> > or getting into trouble. When the session finished, I informed the 
> > specialist that the class probably wouldn't meet my needs, and we most 
> > likely shouldn't continue. The employment specialist disagreed and 
> > started telling me that I should attend the remaining 3 weeks because 
> > it is good practice for Alec to be involved in social events such as 
> > employment class, staff meetings, job interviews, and the like. 
> > Naturally, I agreed that Alec needed to be involved in social events. 
> > On the other hand, seeking them out just to get practice is not what 
> > we need right now. Alec gets enough practice in interviews, staff 
> > meetings, and committee meetings to understand what I expect. I 
> > attempted to explain that dogs will do what dogs do the best. The main 
> > concern is keeping them under control at all times, not expecting them 
> > to act like robots. He will never stay perfectly quiet during a 
> > meeting, he will never lay down and be perfectly still like an 
> > inanimate object, and he will most likely want to visit other people 
> > for some time. Unfortunately, the specialist insists on the practice 
> > and doesn't understand how dog guide/handler relationships work. What do I 
> do to put out the burning flame of this problem? 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________ 
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> > 
>
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